Wrestling: Who stood out at Day 1 of the Sam Cali Battle for the Belt?

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Devin Rivet, of Bishop Hendricken, has trouble against Connor O'Neill, of Depaul, in their 152 pound match. O'Neill (not shown), went on to win. The competition was a final at the Sam Cali Invitational Wrestling Tournament at West Orange High School. Sunday, January 14, 2018 Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

Brian Sidle, of St. Joseph, is shown on his way to victory against Ryan Cody, of North Penn, in their 285 pound match. The competition was a final at the Sam Cali Invitational Wrestling Tournament at West Orange High School. Sunday, January 14, 2018 Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

Dean Peterson, of St. John Vianney, is shown on his way to victory against Justin Bierdumpfel, of Don Bosco, in their 106 pound match. The competition was a final at the Sam Cali Invitational Wrestling Tournament at West Orange High School. Sunday, January 14, 2018 Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

Nick Caracappa, of St. John Vianney, takes control of Joe Napoleone, of St. Joseph, in their 170 pound match. Caracappa went on to win. The competition was a final at the Sam Cali Invitational Wrestling Tournament at West Orange High School. Sunday, January 14, 2018 Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

Devin Rivet, of Bishop Hendricken, has trouble against Connor O'Neill, of Depaul, in their 152 pound match. O'Neill (not shown), went on to win. Sunday, January 14, 2018 Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

Bergen County wrestling finals at Hackensack High School on Friday, December 28, 2018. Tommy Chiellini (Pascack Valley) on his way to defeating Ben Liss (Fair Lawn) in their 182 pound match. (Photo: Michael Karas/NorthJersey.com)

The Don Bosco senior looked at his bracket at Saturday's Sam Cali Battle For the Belt and realized a rematch was on the way. Cawood was paired up with Fair Lawn's Frank Motta for the second time in eight days. It was the same opponent Cawood defeated in the Bergen County finals earlier this season.

"I'm not changing for whoever I'm wrestling," said Cawood, of Park Ridge. "I stick to what I do and it works for me."

Cawood had a tougher time in the rematch, but still earned a 6-5 win to book a spot in Sunday's semifinals. He is one of 10 North Jersey wrestlers to reach that round and among three Ironmen with Mike Tandurella and Will Grater.

After giving up an early takedown and battling through a nosebleed, Cawood bounced back to score six of the last nine points, improving his career record to 90-44.

"I'm not giving up," Cawood said of his approach. "I'm out there for six minutes and you're going to get all of me for six minutes."

The second-year national tournament pays tribute to Sam Cali, a fellow Don Bosco wrestler who passed away in a car crash back in 2016. There were nine North Jersey teams participating this year and 37 in total. And while a few teams kept some top wrestlers out for health or match limit reasons, the competition level was still high at West Orange High School.

Here are some of the top performers from Day 1.

Pascack Valley's Tommy Chiellini

Chiellini followed the same idea as Cawood when put in the same situation. The 182-pound senior didn't have to reinvent himself to knock off Ben Liss in an 11-4 quarterfinal match. He was confident in the approach that led him to a victory over Liss in last month's BCCA final.

"I knew that I could come out here and wrestle the same way I did last time," Chiellini said. "I stuck to my plan. Luckily I came out on top, but it was a cool thing to have a week later. Who would have thought?"

Earlier this season, Chiellini became Pascack Valley's first Bergen County champion since 2001. He is the No. 1 seed in this tournament and will face Seton Hall Prep's Zack Merlino in the next round.

"There's no underdog (story) this year," Chiellini said. "But I always wrestle like I'm the underdog. That's my mindset. I'm not better than anyone, but I try to be better than everyone. It's an honor to be the No. 1 seed, but you also have to wrestle like it."

Garfield's Michael Filieri and Michael Alfonso

The Boilermaker teammates have wrestled together for several years and are beginning to reap the rewards. The 220-pound Filieri upset No. 3-seeded Cameron Bailey of Bishop Hendricken in the quarterfinals with a pin in 2:41. Alfonso followed suit moments later with a first-period win at heavyweight.

"They put in the time and they put in the effort, but the best part is their friendship and their love for it," coach Aaron Khan said. "They wrestled and they're in the stands now watching the film. They're learning every day and having fun."

Filieri finished first at the BCCA Holiday Wrestling Tournament, while Alfonso was a runner-up.

Pope John's JoJo Aragona

The Rutgers-bound wrestler set a school record by recording his 131st career win on Saturday. He earned that distinction with a 19-7 major decision in the quarterfinal. Aragona is the top seed at 138 pounds and one of five Pope John wrestlers still in the field.